Method of making electric sockets



Mmh m, mm J. R. QEILL zmwaa METHOD OF MAKING ELECTRIC SOCKETS 'Filed 1m 51; 1954 H v INVENTOR ATT RNEY dmwpfm RNQEZZZL; BY 7 Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph R. Neill, Waterbury, Conn, assignor to The Watertown Manufacturing Company,

Watertown,

Conn., necticut a corporation of Con- Application August 31, 1934, Serial No. 742,263

7 Claims.

This invention relates to electric bulb sockets, and more particularly to an improved weatherproof socket and method of making same.

One object of this invention is to provide a weather-proof socket in which the electrical lead wires are hermetically embedded within the insulating material of the exterior casing during the molding thereof.

A further object is to provide a method of rapidly manufacturing a weather-proof socket of the above nature by means of dies having a small number of parts.

A further object is to provide a socket of the above nature in which one of the electric lead wires is bent inwardly at its end to serve as the center socket terminal, and is held rigidly in position by the molded insulation in which it is embedded.

A further object is to provide an electric socket of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view there have been illustrated on the accompanying drawing, two forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view of the dies with the screw shell in place prior tothe molding operation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view looking down upon the lower die and showing the relative positions of the insulated lead wires and screw shell.

5 Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1, showing the appearance of the socket and dies after the molding operation.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the completed molded socket.

40 Fig. 5 is a longitudinal view of the threaded die plug showing a modified smooth cylindrical shell fitted upon it prior to being pressed into the threads thereof.

In the previous manufacture of weather-proof 45 sockets, it has been customary to attach inserts of porcelain, etc., to the base of each screw shell to insulate the center spring contact from said shell. It has been found, however, that with a socket so constructed, the flux used for soldering 5 the conductor to the exterior of the screw shell would often creep over the surface or penetrate the porous material of the porcelain insert, permitting current leakage or short-circuiting.

By means of the present invention, the above 55 and other disadvantages have been avoided.

Thus, no inserts whatever are used, and the center terminal is held in position and insulated from the outer shell by the impervious material of the molded casing.

Referring now to the drawing in which like 5 reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral [0 indicates a stationary bed plate upon which is secured the lower section I! of a horizontally split die. The numeral l2 indicates the upper 10 die section which is adapted to be forced downwardly by any suitable power means, such as a hydraulic press (not shown).

The contact faces of the die sections l l and I2 are provided with complementary recesses I3 15 and I4, shaped according to the desired external configuration of the body l5 of the weatherproof socket l6, such as shown in Fig. 4.

In order to support a screw shell ll concentrically between the die sections H and 12, provision is made of a removable plate member is, having a force plug I9 projecting forwardly therefrom. vThe lower edge of the plate [8 is adapted to rest upon the bed plate I!) adjoining the lower die section II. The plug or force I9 25 comprises an enlarged short cylindrical rear section 20, a truncated intermediate conical section 2|, a threaded section 22 of uniform diameter, and a reduced cylindrical end nose 23.

The rear cylindrical section 20 is fitted into a 30 circular recess 24 provided in the face of the removable plate l8, and said force I9 is detachably secured in said recess by means of a stud screw 25 passing through said plate and screwed into a tapped concentric hole 25a 10- cated in said force 19.

Electric current is adapted to be supplied to the socket through a pair of insulated conductors 26 and 2! which are surrounded in the completed socket by a pair of bosses 28 and 29, forming an integral part of the exterior insulating casing. Before molding the socket Hi, the bared end of the insulated conductor 26 will be electrically connected to the unthreaded reduced section l'la of the screw shell H as by soldering.

The bared end of the other insulated conductor 27 is reinforced by a bell-mouthed eyelet 3!! fitted tightly thereupon, and said eyelet is adapted to fit into a suitable aperture 3| formed concentrically in the nose 23 of the force 19. The eyelet 5O 3!! serves as the center terminal of the weatherproof socket.

In order to properly position the lead wires 26 and 21 before the molding operation, said wires 26 and 21 are bent in the manner shown in Fig. 2 and are held in this position by being tightly wedged within a pair of restricted apertures 32 and 33 provided in co-acting faces of the die sections II and I2.

Molding operation In molding the insulating casing of the socket IS, the sequence of operations will be as follows:

First.The screw shell I! with the conductor 26 soldered to the exterior thereof will be threaded upon the force plug l9, this operation being preferably performed at a work-bench away from the molding press.

Second.One-half the required amount of water-proof, insulating, moldable material, such as phenol condensation product, preferably in the form of a compressed pill 34 will then be placed in the recess |3 of the lower die section I Third-The plate l8 with the force plug l9 and assembled shell I! will be laid upon the bed plate I0 in proper relation to the lower die I I, this operation partially crushing the pill 34, as shown in Fig. 1.

Fourth.The eyelet 3| will be placed upon the end of the bared conductor 21 and fitted within the aperture 3| of the plug l9, and the insulated portions of the conductors 26 and 21 will then be laid in the restricted groove sections of the apertures 32 and 33 in the lower die section I l, as shown in Fig. 2.

Fifth.Another pill 35 of the moldable material will be laid upon the top of the screw shell H, as shown in Fig. 1.

Siwth.The hydraulic press will be closed by moving the upper die downwardly into tight engagement with the lower die, as shown in Fig. 3.

Seventh-Steam or other heating medium will then be passed around the die sections in suitable jackets, not shown, for the desired length of time.

Eighth.The press may then be opened to permit the separation of the die sections, and the cooling and removal of the completed molded socket l6 therefrom.

Ninth-The molded socket l6 may then be unscrewed from the force plug I9.

It is to be noted that the annular recess 36 included between the reduced lower end of the screw shell I! and the bell-mouthed end of the eyelet 30 will be completely filled with the molded insulating composition, whereby a smooth flush base will be produced with only the center terminal eyelet 30 projecting into the socket cavity. If desired, the eyelet 30 may be omitted and the bare end of the conductor wire 2'! stripped of its insulation may be inserted into the aperture 3| of the force plug l9 to serve as the center terminal.

Any other suitable form of center contact terminal may also be employed, such as a spring clip, an eyelet clip, a coil spring, etc., within the spirit and scope of this invention.

If desired, the operation of the press may be the reverse of that herein described. Thus, the upper die section may be held stationary and the lower die section moved upwardly.

Modified method In the modified method illustrated in Fig. 5, a cylindrical blank shell 31 having initially smooth side walls 38 will be employed instead of the threaded shell shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. In operation, the shell 31 will be loosely slipped over the threaded force plug I9, and during the molding operation the thin side wall 38 will be forced inwardly and caused to assume the shape of the threads 22 of the plug I9.

While there have been disclosed in this specification two forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures but may be modified and embodied in various other forms Without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

1. The method of producing a weather-proof lamp socket having a pair of electric lead conductors extending from the base thereof which comprises supporting a shell blank with one conductor attached thereto upon a threaded apertured plug, inserting the stripped end of the other conductor into the aperture of said plug, compressing moldable insulating material about said blank and conductors to hermetically embed them within said socket, and unscrewing the completed socket from said plug.

2. The method of producing a weather-proof lamp socket with conductor wires extending from the base thereof which comprises screwing a threaded shell blank having one conductor wire soldered thereto upon a threaded apertured plug, inserting the end of another conductor wire into the aperture of said plug, and compressing moldable insulating material about said blank and wires.

3. The method of producing a weather-proof lamp socket with conductor wires extending from the base thereof, which comprises screwing a threaded shell blank having one conductor wire soldered thereto upon a threaded apertured plug, attaching a terminal member to the end of another conductor, inserting said terminal member into the aperture of said plug, and compressing moldable insulating material about said blank and wlres.

4. The method of producing a Weather-proof lamp socket having a pair of conductor wires extending therefrom, which comprises supporting a cylindrical metal blank having one conductor attached thereto on a solid exteriorly threaded plug having a concentric aperture at its end, inserting the end of the other conductor into said aperture to form the center terminal of said socket, compressing moldable insulating material about the exterior of said blank and wires to cause said blank to assume the shape of said plug.

5. The method of producing a weather-proof lamp socket with conductor wires embedded in the base thereof, which comprises placing a metal shell having a conductor electrically connected thereto upon a threaded force plug, surrounding said shell by the sections of a split die, inserting the end of another conductor into said plug, placing powdered insulating material moldable by heat between said die sections and said plug, and applying heat and pressure to the exterior thereof.

6. The method of producing a .water-proof lamp socket with a pair of conductors integrally embedded therein, which comprises first threading a screw shell blank having a. conductor attached thereto upon a threaded force plug, positioning said force plug coaxially with said stationary die, inserting the bared end of the other conductor in a socket in said plug, placing molding material in said stationary die, moving a second die against said stationary die, and subjecting said dies to heat and pressure to cause said material to completely fill the void cavities between said dies, said shell and said wires.

7. The method of producing a weather-proof lamp socket having a pair of electric lead con- 10 ductors extending from the base thereof, which comprises supporting a threaded shell blank with one conductor attached thereto upon a threaded apertured plug, inserting the stripped end of the other conductor into the aperture of said plug, compressing moldable insulating material about said blank and conductors to hermetically embed them within said socket, and unscrewing the completed socket from said plug. 

